The field of the invention is amusement ride vehicles.
Amusement rides have been enjoyed by millions of people, and especially young people, for many years. Most rides, however, do not accommodate guests in wheelchairs. This is because most ride vehicles have some type of threshold at the vehicle entrance requiring the guest to step over during entry and exiting the vehicle. In addition, most ride vehicles have permanent seating arrangements typically in the form of benches stretching the width of the vehicle. Finally, most amusement rides are usually propelled along a fixed track. Due to safety concerns, the ride vehicle is properly located a distance away from, and typically at a different elevation than, the ride loading platform. As a result, guests in wheelchairs usually find themselves waiting on the loading platform for an attendant or assistant to help them onto and off the typical ride vehicle.
Recently there has been an increased emphasis in providing assistance to wheelchair users to conveniently and safely enter and exit a motor vehicle. Most of these efforts involve motorized ramps or hydraulic lifts which require significant time to deploy and space to store within the motor vehicle. However, few, if any, of these improvements have been used in the amusement ride industry. This is unfortunate. An amusement ride vehicle that accommodates a guest in a wheelchair solving the aforementioned problems is therefore needed.